Detachable terminal connection for electric stove elements



Feb. 28, 1928.

' J. M c. GUNN DETACHABLE TERMINAL CONNECTION FOR ELECTRIC STOVEELEMENTS Filed July 14. 1925 v 4 JOAH M fi/al I I Patented Feb. 1928. I

UNITED STATES 1,660,556 PATENT OFFICE.

- JOHN MCCLARY GUNN, OF LONDON, ONTARIO, CANADA, ASSIGNOR TO THE MGOLABYV MANUFACTURING CO.

OF LONDON, CANADA.

DETAOHABLE TERMINAL CONNECTION FOB ELECTRIC STOVE ELEMENTS.

Application filed July 14, 1925. Serial No. 43,653.

sists in the arrangement of contacts on the heater element adapted toengage fixed contacts arranged in the stove structure.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical,

' sectional viewthrough a heater element of a stove showing the improvedarrangement of electrical contacts.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 showing the heater elementpartlyremoved. Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view through theelectrical connections for the heater element, taken on'the line 3-3 ofFigure 1.

Figure 4 is an underside plan view of the contact member carried by theheating element.

Figure 5 is a plan 'view of a socket member of the connector.

It has been the common practice in the manufacture of electric stoves toconnect the electric elements directlyto terminal wires from thecontrolling switches and as .the eleinents are set to t e stove top, thehandling of such wiring is more or less diflicult and the connection tothe element is usually made by flexible wires to allow the contacts tobe stove top.

According to the present invention-the electric heating element is notdirectly connected by the wiring but .a contact block-1 is located inthe permanent structure of the stove, it being here shown arrangedwithin a pocket 2 formed in the underside of the element holding pan 3secured to the underside of the stove top'4.

The block 1 is here shown provided with longitudinal flanges 5 whichrest upon the ledge of the pocket 2 and uponthe flange holding strip 6atthe opposite side. The block is provided with end lugs 7 formed withlongitudinal slots 8 and itis secured in the pocket 2 by bolts 9.

The top surface of the block 1 is preferably convexed and is providedwith an arrangement of parallel recesses 10. These recesses areconnected by slots 11 with recesses secured before the element isplacediiito the 12 in the bottom side and the bottom plates 13 of thespring contacts 14 are secured in the bottom recesses by the bolts 15,while the contacts 14 extend upwardly through the slots 11 into therecesses 10.

The bolts 15 arev rigidly secured to the proper electrical terminals andas the block 1 is a fixture, these connections can be made permanent.

The electric element 16 which may be of any suitable design is hereshown with its bottom plate 17 provided with an opening 18 in which islocated an insulating block 19. This block is provided with a pair ofend lugs 20 having longitudinal slots 21 therein through which bolts 22extend to adjustably secure the block in position on the element.

The block is providedwith a plurality of recesses 23 which correspondwith the re cesses 10 in the block 1 and in each of these recesses 23 issecured a contact plate 24 which is preferably a flat sheet of metalhava ing an arc-shaped outer edge and which is bent over and securedrigidly to the block by the bolt 25. Each bolt is connected at its innerend to the required connection of the v enter the recesses 10 intheblock 1 and to engage the spring contacts 14.

-The extreme ends of the spring contacts are war the walls of therecesses 10 to effect the proper guiding influence to the contact plates24, thus ensuring a proper contact by preventing the contact lates 24from entering between the wall of the slot and the contacts which wouldresult in a poor connection and cause arcing.

The concaved shape of the block 1 is designed so that the contact plates24 may readily enter the recesses 10 from the side of the block and boththe plate and the contact will be visible from the top of the stove inlooking through the opening where the element is to rest.-

It is an important feature that the contacts should be visible when anelement is being placed in position to ensure the proper location of thecontacts and to enable the person making the assembly to see that suchproper connection is effected, and that the parts are not injured.

(preferably bent or flared outwardly to- With a contact such asdescribed the socket member is rigidly secured in the stove Structureand the plate contact is rigidly secured in the element structure, bothbeing positively connected with their respective electrical connectionswithout undue restriction in regard to access, that is to say, the

and requiring to be replaced, it is merely necessary to lift it out andreplace it. No Wires have to be disconnected, no nutsor bolts have to beunfastened. The plates merely-slip out of the spring finger contacts andremoval is effected.

The applicant is fully aware that electric elements having rigidcontacts adapted to engage fixed contact connections are not inthemselves new, as this arrangement may be made in many forms ofdevices, but he claims as new, the combination with a heating element ofa stove adapted to fit into an opening in the stove top, of a readilydetachable electrical connection.

What I claim as my invention is 1. An electric stove having a recess inthe top, an insulating block arranged in the bottom of said recessimmediately adjacent one side thereof. and having a convexed top, narrowrecesses in said block extending downwardly from said convexed top, flatelectric spring terminals arranged in each of the recesses in the top ofsaid block and having their outer ends flared toward the adjacent wallof said recesses, wiring permanently connected to said electricalterminals, a removable heating element adapted to fit into the recess inthe stove top, an insulating block secured in the underside of saidelement, a group of flat electric contacts extending downwardly fromsaid insulating block and being permanently connected to the electricresistance and adapted to enter said recesses and engage the contactsinthe block arranged at the bottom of said'recess, such engagement beingaccomplished prior to the final-positioning of said removable heatingelement.

2. The combination with an electric heating element and a stove tophaving an opening to receive said element, of a pan arranged under saidopening and secured to the stove top and adapted to enclose the elementtherebelow said pan having an opening in the bottom thereof leading fromthe centre outwardly to adjacent the outer edge, a pocket arranged atthe outer side of said pan and extending below the opening in the panbottom, a contact block 1 arranged in said pocket having contactterminals extending upward in alignment with said bottom opening,contact terminals mounted on said heating element and adapted to extendthrough said bottom opening and engage the contacts therebelow, saidpocket having an opening in the inner wall thereof in register with thebottom opening of the pan, said registering openings afiording a clearView of the contact terminals when being engaged.

3. In an electric stove having a recess in the top to receive theheating element, the combination with the heating element, of a block ofinsulating material secured to the bottom of said element at one sidethereof having a plurality of rectangular recesses in the bottom side, acontact plate arranged in each of said recesses formed of'a flat sheetof metal havin a flanged edge, bolts inserted through the block securingthe flanged edges of said plates rigidly against the upper side of saidrecesses with the free edges of said plates projecting below the block,a block of insulating material fixedly secured in the recess in thestove top and having a plurality of parallelly arranged recesses andslots opening through said recesses, and spring contacts secured to thebottom of said fixed insulating block and extending upwardly through'theslots therein and projecting into recesses in the top thereof.

' JOHN MQCLARY GUNN.

